HAVANA – Cuban government on Thursday released three political prisoners, the first to be set free since the U.S. and Cuba agreed to restore diplomatic relations, human rights advocates said.
The three were imprisoned for being members of the outlawed opposition movement Unpacu and had spent between two and two-and-a-half years behind bars.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]
However, their release was confirmed by the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation in Havana.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]
Cuban President, Raoul Castro in December pledged to release the dissidents as a “humanitarian gesture,’’ part of the U.S.-Cuba agreement to restore diplomatic relations after 50 years of isolation.
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A U.S. State Department spokeswoman said that the U.S. would send a top-level diplomat to Cuba even if Havana had not fulfilled its promise to release 53 political prisoners.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]
However, the diplomat, Roberta Jacobsen, is to be sent to Havana to handle the groundwork of restoring diplomatic relations. (dpa/NAN)
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